During laundering, colored garments have a tendency to wear and fade. A portion of this color loss may be attributed to abrasion in the laundering process. This is particularly evident when utilizing automatic washing machines and automatic laundry dryers. It is also well known that fabrics/garments laundered with synthetic detergents tend to become harsher and stiffer, within a few laundry cycles as compared to when the fabric/garment is new. Fiber/fabric damage, especially after multiple laundry cycles, is also of concern to consumers.
In recent years, consumer desirability for durable press fabric garments, particularly cotton fabric garments, has risen. Durable press garments include those garments which resist wrinkling of the fabric both during wear and during the laundering process. Durable press garments can greatly decrease the hand work associated with laundering by eliminating the ironing that is sometimes necessary to prevent wrinkling of the garment. However, in most commercially available durable press fabrics, the fabric's ability to resist abrasion during laundering and in-wear is largely reduced due to the crosslinking chemistry that is used by fabrics having durable press finishes. The crosslinking chemistry tends to penetrate into and crosslink with the molecules of cellulose-containing fabrics. This in turn weakens the fabric fibers thereby reducing the tensile strength of the fibers and reducing their resistance to abrasion. The fabric's resistance to wrinkling is also reduced over time as the garment is repeatedly worn and laundered.
Accordingly, there is a need for a fabric care composition, and, in particular, a detergent composition which can provide improved color integrity, improved fabric feel, improved resistance to fabric abrasion, improved anti-wear properties, less fiber/fabric damage, and refurbish or restore anti-wrinkle properties to fabrics. Furthermore, there is a need to provide the anti-wrinkle and anti-wear properties in a single detergent composition product which can be added at the beginning of the wash cycle. This need is met by the present invention wherein an improved detergent composition is provided. The improved detergent composition of the present invention includes a dispersible polyolefin wax. The inclusion of the dispersible polyolefin wax allows for delivery of better color integrity, better fabric feel, less fiber/fabric damage, better anti-wrinkling, and better anti-wear properties to the garment during the wash cycle. Furthermore, in comparison to fabrics treated with crosslinking chemistry, use of the dispersible polyolefin wax of the present invention will not adversely impact tensile strength or abrasion resistance. Yet further, it is thought that use of the dispersible polyolefin wax of the present invention may improve the abrasion resistance of fabric.